'A Little Metaphoric And A Little Abstract'

The healing power of art is what motivates San Juan-based theater troupe Y No Había Luz.

For more than a decade, the group has been pushing the limits of theater by having the audience do things like make masks, build props, and be active participants in performances. The goal is to spark dialogue about social and political
issues.

This month, four members of the ensemble visited Chicago.

The Y No Había Luz members that came to Chicago. Clockwise from top left: Carlos Jose Torres, Francisco Iglesias, Pedro Ivan Bonilla, and Yari Helfeld.

The Y No Había Luz members that came to Chicago. Clockwise from top left: Carlos Jose Torres, Francisco Iglesias, Pedro Ivan Bonilla, and Yari Helfeld.

After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, Y No Había Luz — which translates to "And There Was No Light" — performed and hosted art workshops in communities that lost electricity. With little money,
they drove through heavy rains, past downed trees and powerlines, and struggled to find gasoline.

Worried about funding, ensemble member Yari Helfeld called Omar Torres-Kortright, the director of Chicago’s Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, whom she’d met on two previous visits to the city.

Omar Torres-Kortright

Omar Torres-Kortright

"There are a lot of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. who care about the island and are interested in how they can help," Helfeld said.

Chicagoans raised enough money to bring four of the seven members of Y No Había Luz to the city.

The members do a little bit of everything, from performances to publicity, but "everyone has a superpower. That’s the great thing about a collective," Bonilla said.

While in Chicago, the group performed the play "El Centinela de Mangó," which the troupe wrote after Hurricane Maria.

It tells the story of a tree in the village where Helfeld grew up. Each year, residents fly a Puerto Rican flag atop the mango tree — a symbol for those who want the island to be independent from the United States.

The tree in Helfeld's village of Orocovis.

The tree in Helfeld's village of Orocovis.

Y No Había Luz turned the story of the tree’s destruction during Hurricane Maria into a fable about how Puerto Ricans have spread across the globe, but still care for the island.

The troupe also installed an exhibit of their sculptures and masks at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park. At the opening, ensemble members engaged visitors in conversations about the meaning of their
work, something they also do after each performance.

Members of Y No Había Luz said their art is inspired by "the theater of the oppressed," an art movement that aims to empower people to communicate with their oppressors.

"We want to hear people talk, want to know their opinions, and sometimes we incorporate these into the plays," Helfeld said.

At the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, they performed a play called "Menos."

"Menos," which translates to "less," features two large hands made of papier-mâché. "Menos" is also a pun for "manos," the Spanish word for hands.

"Puerto Ricans communicate a lot with their hands," Helfeld said. "We started improvising with these two hands, and we discovered there’s a lot you can do with them. When you have the hands, you have the power. It’s
a little metaphoric and a little abstract."

The final part of the ensemble's stay in Chicago was an arts festival in Humboldt Park, where they invited kids to make flags — similar to those in the tree in "El Centinela de Mangó."

"It’s important to make a bridge to people outside of Puerto Rico," Helfeld said. "It’s important to be connected."

Y No Había Luz’s exhibit, Circus of Absence, will be on display at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture at 3015 W. Division St. through February 2019. The museum is free and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays.